Flight Festival' In Quakertown Grounded Until Next Weekend

September 28, 1985|The Morning Call

Quakertown Hospital's Flight Festival was grounded for the weekend by wet grounds caused by the heavy rains of Hurricane Gloria yesterday.

For the third consecutive year, the festival has been affected by adverse weather on the weekend of the event. Only this time, the inordinate amount of rain which collected on the grounds of Quakertown Airport and throughout the area forced postponement of the fest until next weekend.

The airport was flooded by the rains, making the grounds so wet that they were not expected to dry for at least 48 hours, according to Elfriede O'Neill, director of public relations for the hospital.

O'Neill said the rains would create a hazard for balloonists attempting to land, and with flooding conditions off-site it was unknown what the chase vehicles would encounter.

Both of the festival's major tents were blown to the ground - the crafts tent sometime during the night Thursday and the refreshment tent around noon yesterday when winds were reaching their peak, according to O'Neill.

"Several booths were turned over and smashed as well," she said, adding that both were repairable.

As the skies clear, O'Neill said the picture will brighten.

"We're still trying to pull together the same show we had planned for this weekend," she commented.

O'Neill said most of the 70 balloonists planning to participate in this weekend's event have indicated they would be able to return next weekend.

Food vendors and suppliers have been "very cooperative and very supportive of our efforts," she said. Volunteers and workers are expected to begin work Monday to prepare the grounds for the second time.

It was uncertain yesterday whether waivers could be secured from the Federal Aviation Administration on such short notice for the acrobatic air show to get off the ground next week.

"The air show is still being negotiated because of the technicalities and channels you have to go through," O'Neill said. But she expressed optimism that the necessary work would be accomplished and the waiver granted.